Sam & Max Ep. 105: Reality 2.0
Reviewed by Cyril Lachel on
May 29, 2007.
If you like to laugh then you owe it to yourself to pick up this fifth episode of Sam & Max. Reality 2.0 is not only the best game in the series so far, but it's also one of the funniest games of all time. It's full of great in-jokes, tons of video game references, and some of the most memorable characters ever created. Whatever you do don't miss this episode of Sam & Max Season 1!
Rating: 85%

So far this season Sam and Max have managed to take on politics, the mafia and even American Idol. But in their fifth adventure our favorite freelance police officers are going to take on their craziest case yet: Geek culture! That's right; in Reality 2.0, Sam and Max are going to battle the internet, discover why everybody is so addicted to those massively multiplayer online games, and discover just how nerdy some of us gamers really are. If you've been waiting for the perfect time to jump in and discover what makes the Sam & Max series so much fun then Reality 2.0 is definitely a great place to start, it's one of the funniest and most inspired video game parodies I have ever seen and a must play ... even if you aren't normally into point and click adventure games.

Reality 2.0 picks up right after Episode 4, Max is currently the President of the United States (don't ask) and there's a gigantic robot still wandering the streets. But there's no time to worry about those things because the commissioner is in an uproar over some computer-related problems ... the kind you can't fix by simply turning off your PC and then turning it back on again. Planes are falling out of the sky, the world's retailers are in chaos, and pasty skinned nerds will actually have to go outside and socialize with other people. Oh the horror! But don't worry; Sam and Max are on the case.

Lucky for our heroes a major disruption is happening right in their backyard, so investigating these weird happenings requires almost no effort on your part. Strange things keep happening, and all around you everybody seems to be too busy playing this alternate reality video game called Reality 2.0. By everybody I mean that the local shopkeeper, Bosco, and one-time psychic Sybill (who is currently working as a beta tester) are busy with this massively multiplayer online game. But is this game a harmless alternative to the day to day doldrums of modern life, or is there something far more sinister at play in Reality 2.0?

Before long you'll be introduced to the central hub of Reality 2.0, a small storefront that houses four memorable pieces of technology (a pong machine, an arcade cabinet, an old school computer, and a telephone). These four characters introduce you to the wild new world of Reality 2.0, a game that requires you to wear a fancy new headset that sees the world in a completely new way. In Reality 2.0 the world around you has been transformed into something straight out of a video game, and all of your favorite items have been turned into something a little bit more appropriate to a computer game. One look at Reality 2.0 and it's easy to see why nobody wants to go back to the boring old Reality 1.0.

Without giving too much of the story away, your mission is to discover what the heck is going on with this mesmerizing video game and do something about it. Like all Sam & Max games, this means that you're going to have to talk to a lot of people, use some funky adventure game logic, and solve some crazy puzzles. Thankfully this set up is intriguing and this fifth installment is the funniest episode yet.

Part of what makes this game so much fun is that it's aware of all of the in-jokes and references that it's making. In true Sam & Max fashion, every element of this topic is spoofed in one way or another. And it's not just MMOs that get the brunt of the jokes; you'll also find references to Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, classic LucasArts adventure games, Dragon Warrior, Castlevania, and so much more. And believe it or not the jokes aren't always obvious, from beginning to end you'll be constantly surprised by all of the references the game makes.

Better yet, this Sam & Max game seems to be aware of some of the criticism of the first few games. For example, one of the biggest complaints about the first few Sam & Max adventures was that they reused a lot of the same environments, but in this game they take that criticism and flip it upside down. Sure you get the same areas you've seen in the past few episodes (Bosco's Inconvenience Store, Sybill's, and everything else on the main street), only now you get to experience them in a completely altered state, which really adds to the game. This alternate reality has some of the same layout, but it's just fun to see how they changed the world to fit into Reality 2.0.

If you like to laugh then you owe it to yourself to pick up this fifth episode of Sam & Max. Reality 2.0 is not only the best game in the series so far, but it's also one of the funniest games of all time. It's full of great in-jokes, tons of video game references, and some of the most memorable characters ever created. Whatever you do don't miss this episode of Sam & Max Season 1!

This product was submitted by the publisher for review. As a rule, Defunct Games does not review games we spent money on. However, that does not always apply to classic/retro games. This specific product, however, came straight from a PR guy for the purposes of being reviewed!